1. How Snow Storm Brings Stupidity Out of People
When ignorance and neglect make people dangerous
Hello friends,
Nice writing to you again and everything is going well. This is gonna be my first newsletter, and I am very excited. I hope you will find it interesting and informative at least a little bit.
While looking at what should write about, I was with my friends for a couple of days in the capital of Croatia, Zagreb. Last day of my trip, I decided it is time to go back to my home, a small village situated in the heart of the Biggest National park Plitvice lakes, but that is gonna be a story for another day. In Croatia, an app called Bla Bla Car gives you the option to share your rides with others if you are traveling alone with your car to reduce travel costs. I decided to go on Sunday with a guy who posted a ride on the app, and that is where our story begins.
The story will not be that interesting if a couple of stupid decisions and neglect from individuals put other people in danger and blocked all roads between the north and south of Croatia.
They mentioned on the news day before it will be a snowy day and a possible snowstorm is incoming. The very first step I did outside my friend's apartment noticed only a little bit of snow but nothing outstanding and it was not snowing at all. I came to a meeting point and 10 minutes later guy arrived with a white Audi and pick up 3 of his passengers for our adventure.
The driver was friendly in his late 30s, very talkative, and told us all different road stories. He traveled a lot because of work. A girl was a nurse going back to work, and a student who is looking for an apartment in Zagreb and is going back home now. It was an interesting group of people for sure.
My home is in the mountainous region of Croatia called Lika, which is usually a place for big snows and snowstorms during winter. Now to get to the coast you have 3 options. Going by highway through the biggest tunnel in Croatia, a dangerous road through some villages above a mountain and the third option is a little bit longer way because it goes around the mountain but also not a risk-free option.
As we were getting closer to my home it was snowing more and more and ultimately, we got a bit scared. I was pretty confident me arriving home, but their safety and coming home on time were at risk. After 2 hours of cautious driving, I arrived home and they continued their journey. Nothing will suggest what will come in the next few hours.
News just started popping up in the evening about the snowstorm that arrived from the north of Europe. No one believed that there will be any problems because of that. That is just part of Croatian mentality and stubbornness that always comes to the surface when someone tells us that we need to follow the rules, in this case, in the danger of the snow storm.
Roads were blocked with snow, snow machines could not go on the highway because of high wind, and because of that reason it was closed, another road was blocked when the truck turned over and traffic could not go any further. Just chaos overall.
That, of course, did not stop some clever individuals from trying to cross a highway, in hope that somehow they will cross it or just wait on the highway until something miraculously happens. In the end, something did happen, because of hours of being stuck on the highway and no sign of snow stopping, which ultimately led to rescue from mountain rangers and the assistance of police because they went during a road blockage and put everyone in danger.
In towns, shelters were made for people to warm themselves up for overnight stay until roads will open again.
Small but proud country, something they usually say about Croatia. It can bring us into bad situations, just like this one. Our ego, selfishness, and way of thinking cause people to be so wrapped up in their desires that they either do not notice or do not care for the needs of others when people need them the most. Most of us don't like to have our freedom constrained so there is a natural antipathy towards rules. In the end, my travel friends arrived at their destination but just 26 hours later.
Everyone thought it will be another snowy day, but in the end, became a massive road collapse not just thanks to the weather, but also to actions done by individuals.
Feel free to comment if you have any insights or questions.
Until next time,
Ivica